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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

ZOMBIES!!!

So continuing on with my favorite list of books, I'm heading into ZOMBIES! Num, num, num… I'm giving this one its own category because well, it's all about those dead but not quite dead baddies. And make sure to read beyond the blurb because I'm also giving my personal thoughts on each book!

Here are my personal favorites in no particular order.

Waking Up Dead (End of Days Love Story)

You know your life has hit rock bottom when you’re living off cooked rats and showering once every few months—if you’re lucky. But for Jackson Hart things are about to get a whole lot worse. When her best friend, Tye, disappears hunting for food, kick-ass Jackson’s ‘head south to safety’ plan looks like it’s dead before it’s even begun. But then she meets ex-mechanic Luke Granger, who takes her to his bunker, feeds her with non-rat based food, and offers her protection against the zombie hordes—not that she needs it. She knows how to use a machete and isn’t afraid to.Jackson was tempted to stay in the city with her rescuer. Food, shampoo and the possibility of finally getting laid, what more could she ask for? But the flesh eaters are getting smarter and the bunker is compromised, so Jackson and Luke have no choice but to make the journey south.Luke and Jackson team up to find other humans in a road-trip romance for the ages. They travel for thousands of miles with zombies shadowing their every move. They must utilize every resource at their disposal…and then some. On the way, they discover that even if flesh eating zombies are knocking down their door, there’s always time for sex and even love.

Marie's Thoughts: I just read this one so I'm still sort of buzzing off it. But I absolutely loved this book and hate that it's not getting more love. It's a fabulous book, if you love The Walking Dead and wish that Daryl would just get it on with somebody already (LOL) you'll love this one.

Taking on the Dead Annie Walls

Life for Kansas was perfect until the day the world changed.She has been hiding out for four years in solitude. It's the only way to survive. The only way not to draw the living dead. Helping a small group of people, she learns the new world might not be what she assumes. Venturing out of her refuge and comfort zone, she meets Rudy, who helps her find a greater purpose. She realizes that the world has moved on without her. Only it's not what she expects. Her knowledge of the living dead grows and only makes her more curious as humanity continues to hang on by a thread. While on her search for answers she finds comfort in new friendships and love, but her past seems as if it will haunt her forever. Kansas takes it upon herself to help other survivors, which would be easy if the famished were the only obstacles.In a trilogy plot thick with twists and turns, this adult dark fantasy is emotional as much as it is horrifyingly gripping.This book contains graphic violence, intense language, sexual situations, drug use, and is intended for a mature audience.

Marie's Thoughts: Whoa, what a great writer. I first learned about Annie Walls from the zombie anthology Darlings of Decay. I was confused reading her story a little because I didn't realize at the time the short story was based on the characters created in this world. But the strength of her prose was such that I had to go sourcing for more of her work and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I LOVED this book. Kansas is one kick butt heroine and I just love her. And while I think that Rudy's name is kinda wimpy, he's hot, so I can overlook it. :p This is an excellent start to a very promising series. Book 2 is out already, though I confess I haven't gotten to it yet.

Warm Bodies

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

Marie's Thoughts: Okay, I cannot lie... I'd never even heard of this book until the movie came out. I LURVED the movie so much I had to then go back and read the book and the book is SO SO SO SO much better. To be inside a zombie's head!!! Are you freaking kidding me? This book was amazing, because while I'm normally all about killing me some undead, I actually found one I wanted to cuddle. *gasp* This book just gave me the feels and it's gone high onto my forever shelf. Issac Marion made me sympathize with a villain, I just loved it.

Those are just a few of my favorites. There are so many more zombie books to read and hopefully one day I'll thin out my ever increasing TBR pile, but if you're like me and have an insatiable appetite for all things zombie, you gotta check these books out. And even if you don't like zombies, do yourself a favor and just sample them. You never know until you try it, right?

1 comment:

Thanks for the suggestions! I'd already read warm bodies. It was pretty good. Definitely a different take on zombies. :) I didn't much care for the movie. It was just a little too off. Waking up dead was a good read. I really liked taking on the dead. So much that as soon as I finished it I read controlling the dead right afterward. Now I gotta wait for the next one...lol. Keep the good reads from yourself & others coming!